Exploiting Hollywood 1980

“A!”

Ronald climbed onto the jib again. He wanted to see the atmosphere of the lighting, which matched his pre-set idea.

A wooden bridge led to a platform extending out from the mountain lake villa, which extended out from the mountain and just happened to be able to see the scenery of the lake.

Ronald had seen it in the viewfinder beforehand. The lighting arrangement was designed in advance. The red, yellow, and green paper lanterns emitted a hazy light in the evening with a drizzle, as if each lamp was covered with a halo.

The jib rose from the ground, and then a distant view opened.

The lights in other places around were deliberately turned off, and they were all dark. Only the viewing platform opposite the wooden bridge was brightly lit, which made people want to go over and join the dance party there.

“Cut!”

This technique of using lighting invented by Francis Coppola in his failed blockbuster "Old Love, New Love" is really good, and it can easily create an intoxicating atmosphere.

Another failed film, "Street Rage", also used this kind of red warm light throughout the film to create atmosphere on the actors' faces. And setting the light on the wet ground to let the ground reflect colorful light is a very useful technique to create atmosphere.

Although these directors were not successful at the box office, they explored a new audio-visual language for later directors.

No wonder Coppola is always called the director's director. Other directors in the industry can always get more inspiration from his movies than ordinary audiences.

"Move the camera to the viewing platform." Ronald ordered the camera crew.

Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze were about to dance together, and he hoped that what he prepared could ease the two people's feelings.

"Should I clear the scene?" Ronald went to the viewing platform and asked the assistant choreographer Miranda Garrison, who was dressed up.

Today is a scene where she seduces Swayze's Johnny. All the dancers came to see their choreographer's performance.

"No need, let them see my strength."

Miranda wore a black backless evening gown with an expensive white fur cape around her shoulders.

Ronald smiled, held Miranda's hand, and let her walk into the center of the viewing platform.

"Oh oh..." The extras began to make noises.

Patrick Swayze also smiled and took Miranda's hand.

They were both professional dancers. Ronald signaled the camera to turn on, and began recording the film while they were rehearsing.

Miranda reached out to touch Swayze's neck, and the cape slipped off. She simply took the cape off with her other hand and threw it on the ground next to her.

The props saw it and felt bad. This was borrowed from the store by the crew. If it touched the ground and got wet, they would have to pay for it.

Ronald grabbed him and glared at him. Miranda's improvisation was excellent. She was a middle-aged housewife who wanted to eat up the dance teacher with a very good figure. She acted very well.

How could a small cape hurt? If it is interrupted, what if this state is not there during the formal filming?

Experienced actors can often only shoot the fullest and most realistic emotional reactions in the first take. After that, they will become clichéd.

"Hi, Max? Is my dance class starting to work?" Miranda, who plays the noblewoman Vivian, asked the hotel owner Max with a smile.

"Very good, first-class!" Max certainly knew what Vivian was doing, but as long as she could continue to live in the resort hotel, she would generally turn a blind eye to such things. Besides, the cost was paid by Vivian's husband.

Vivian turned around with a clear conscience and stroked Johnny's face with a finger.

"Cut!"

"Bravo!" Ronald applauded first, leading the group to applaud Miranda's lovely acting skills.

"Really? When we actually shoot, I'm afraid it will be worse." Miranda quickly picked up the fur shawl and patted the dust on her hands.

"It's okay, I've recorded it all." Ronald made an inquiry gesture to the cameraman, who made an OK gesture and then gave a thumbs up to express his appreciation.

The camera went back to shoot the scene where the boss Max greeted Dr. Hausman and his family. Max wanted his youngest son to pursue the doctor's youngest daughter, Osman. So he took good care of them.

His son was admitted to Cornell, and Baby was going to Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. It happened to be a good school for traditional marriages.

"Doctor, aren't you going to dance?"

The camera was focused on the Hausman family, only Lisa who was out for a tryst was missing.

"We are waiting for a waltz."

The doctor's wife answered on behalf of her husband. Waltz is a more orthodox social dance, and compared with the current music, it does not have such a strong meaning of flirting between men and women.

"Vivian Pressman. She is the kind of woman we often say lives in Kellerman during the week. Her husband is a car dealer and often comes on weekends."

The boss Max explained the origin of this romantic woman to the doctor.

Baby was held by Dr. Hausman's shoulders, as if he didn't want her to hear the dirty side of society.

Jennifer Grey looked helpless, as if to say, why wasn't I the one who teased Johnny?

"Cut!"

Ronald called a halt. This scene was very well acted. Gray's mood just matched Baby's feeling in this scene. She also envied Sweets' wife.

The so-called wrong in and wrong out, this mentality is very suitable, at least before filming Baby and Johnny's official relationship.

"Script clerk..."

Ronald called the script clerk, and she began to record the position of each shot. Soon the lighting team would change the lighting, and the set team would also change some small props.

In order to save money, "Dirty Dancing" uses jump shots. There are many scenes on this viewing platform, which will be shot at the same time.

"Baby!" Sweets made an affectionate expression and called Gray.

"Johnny, I..."

Jennifer Gray and Patrick Sweets slowly hugged each other, and then began to dance mambo to the music. .

"Cut!"

Ronald had already filmed this scene for the seventh time. The two of them were stiff and stood there without speaking, as if there was no communication.

During the audition, the feeling of perfect harmony, where dancing without talking could make people blush and their hearts beat fast, was gone.

"We'll stop here today."

Ronald's attempt to use physical contact to get the two leading actors back to form also failed shamefully.

When there was a feeling, looking at each other, and wanting to touch fingers, it was a thrilling excitement.

When there was no feeling, even if they kissed passionately, there was no ripple in their eyes.

"Ronald, here are all the theme song samples for application."

After returning to the hotel room, Ronald had to rest and continued to select theme songs with screenwriter Eleanor.

Music director Danny Goldberg was ineffective. Although he had a lot of experience working in large studios, he encountered a stingy crew like Ronald, and many of his working methods could not be carried out here, and he could not handle anything by himself.

For example, he did a very poor job in soliciting theme songs. In large studios, you only need to make a demand and make a few calls to friends in major record companies to provide good candidate songs.

But Ronald had no money, only fame. The big record company was unwilling to give its trump song to Ronald's small production at a low price.

Finally, he found an independent songwriter and producer he was not familiar with, but he had not found a suitable song until the filming of the movie was halfway through.

Ronald, who was already impatient, called Jimmy Reiner, the music broker who handled the copyright of the old songs. Through him, he sent a message to all interested independent producers.

Finally, after an urgent call, Reiner rushed to the mountain lake villa with more than 50 Deo tapes.

It was late at night, and Ronald dragged his tired body and listened to the tapes one by one with the screenwriter Eleanor.

Maybe the price was too cheap, or maybe the director Goldberg's idea made sense. Good songs would not be missed by big record companies and fall into the hands of independent producers.

After listening to more than 40 tapes, he was still not satisfied.

"None of these works. What we want is a song with the basic structure of 1950s music, but with some new popular elements. It also needs to be in sync with the last dance."

Eleanor complained endlessly.

"It's true that the quality is a bit worse." Ronald also scratched his head.

"If it doesn't work, we can only play a mambo rhythm dance music when shooting the last dance scene, and then collect new songs and record them in post-production."

"But in that case, the actors will lack the resonance of the scene and the appropriate theme song. And Jennifer and Patrick lack chemistry."

"Uh..."

Ronald was annoyed when he heard this. He opened the last tape and put it into the recorder.

"Now, I have found the time of my life.

No, I have never felt this way before.

Yes, I swear, this is the truth.

I attribute all this to you.

Because I spent the best time of my life with you."

"Huh?" Ronald and Eleanor sat up at the same time. Although the song was not fast at the beginning, the melody and lyrics were very consistent with the atmosphere of the scene.

Then in the second paragraph, the rhythm accelerated to the normal rhythm of mambo, which was just right for editing, with close-ups of the face and close-ups of the dance.

"Who sang this? Such a charming voice?" Ronald was overjoyed and insisted on having the two singers in the demo sing this song.

"It's Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes," Jimmy Reiner replied.

Seeing that Ronald didn't quite understand, he added, "Bill Medley is the one with long hair in the group 'The Righteous Brothers'."

Ronald knew this group. Their most famous song "You've

Lost

That

Lovg

Feelg" was the song that the Lone Ranger sang in the bar with a microphone in "Top Gun" to pick up Charlie. It was also the song Charlie ordered on the jukebox after the two met again in the bar.

Bill Medley was the powerful baritone at the beginning.

"Ah, it's him. I'll decide on this one. You help me get the recording of them."

Ronald immediately decided.

"I'll do it right away and send you a studio version."

"Don't send it here. We're going to move to North Carolina soon."